Olive Oyster Puttanesca

Olive Oyster Puttanesca

My mother made little smoked oyster canapes for her card playing friends, but they didn’t like them, so I took them and improvised a puttanesca.   Not vegetarian, you say?  No – definitely not!  I’m not a strict vegetarian – I do eat fish, and I like the flavours things like anchovies and smoked oysters  bring to some dishes.

Saute together, in olive oil:

• 4 cloves garlic, diced 
• 1 small can smoked oysters (on small pieces of toast)
• 1 x 14oz can chopped green olives (or chop whole olives, keeping about a 1/3 aside to add whole)
• and about
  • 1/4 dried red hot chili
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed between your palms
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme

Saute this for about 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to blend, then add

• 1 x 28oz can crushed tomatoes

Stir well, cover and leave on a slow simmer for about an hour.

Serve with your favorite pasta…

…rice, quinoa, baked potato

I once had a variation of this served over spaghetti squash!

Related articles

• Olive Lover’s Pasta aka Pasta Alla Puttanesca (vegcharlotte.wordpress.com)
• pasta puttanesca (whiskinglifeaway.com)
• Store cupboard puttanesca (gannetandparrot.com)
• Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca (acougarinthekitchen.com)

 

Cannellini Bean Salad

Soak overnight and cook 3/4 cup cannellini beans.  After cooking, add a clove of minced garlic and let the beans stand for a day in the fridge in the remaining water (you want water to barely cover the beans, about the same amount of juice as would be in a can of cooked beans).

To prepare the salad, add to the beans and liquid, 1/4 cup each of the following, coarsely chopped:

•  red onion
• celery
• yellow sweet pepper

Plus

• 1 coarsely chopped medium tomato
• 2 tablespoons golden linseed
• a pinch of dried, red-hot chilli
• a sprinkle coarsely ground salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• about 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups chopped arugula (it looks like 2 loosely packed cups, and after you chop it, it packs down to about a cup)
• a squeeze of lemon

Let stand about 2 hours before serving.  Serve at room temperature.

Related articles

• Cannellini Bean Salad (awahmomspointofview.wordpress.com)
• White Bean Cannellini Spread (clookbook.com)
• Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale (thesmartcookiecook.com)